ABSTRACT
The theme of this chapter is the growing fear of urban violence, the fear experienced by large numbers of residents of different social class and ethnic backgrounds in Brazil’s large and medium-sized cities. We deal here primarily with the strategies of protection from criminals, as developed by urban residents, and how these have brought about profound changes in the spatial and ethnic configuration of the city, as well as in attitudes, conduct and social practices in public space. These attitudes have given rise to a type of urban culture in Brazil that has been recognized in the social sciences as a ‘culture of fear’.
